new moons
by glueskin
Summary: xion wants to watch the stars. vanitas wants to be left alone - except he doesn't, not really. - post kh3, written under the assumption of an alternative ending scenario. can be read as a follow up to 'thistle'.


its me, back at it again with the kh 60 minute prompt fics...i saw "stars" and was like well why not! and it seems i cant write anything other than vanitas and xion friendship fic lately

there are implications of abuse are in vanitas' behavior and aversion to touch, but it isnt outright suggested or stated

shoutout to jj for cheering me on...lov u 

* * *

Xion likes the night.

Maybe it's because everything is quieter, more subdued. Even in Radiant Garden, even in Twilight Town—things slow, settle, lights dimming.

Xion is always restless at night, so used to a largely nocturnal schedule from _before. _So lately they've been leaving their room in the laboratory at night to watch the stars. The World That Never was had plenty, but they were hard to see, obscured by the encroaching light of the false Kingdom Hearts that hung like a bloated mockery of a moon.

They do the same thing tonight, but this time with a book Ienzo had loaned them upon noticing their frequent late-night outings. Xion tucks it under one arm, grabbing onto the ladder bolted into the wall of the building.

_The roof is the best place for stargazing_, Ienzo had said, a faintly nostalgic tone to his voice as he pressed the book into Xion's hands.

Climbing a ladder one handed is probably not the best idea, but Xion manages it, carefully bringing up each foot to the next rung one at a time—slowly but successfully reaching the top. They heft the arm with the book over the edge, then grasp on with their other hand to lift themself up, and—

Almost tips back as they lift their head, only to be met by two glowing yellow eyes. The only reason they don't fall is because a hand shoots out, grabbing them by the front of their shirt; for a moment Xion is precariously tipped over the roof ledge, staring, wide eyed, a choked shout caught in their throat as they see a panicked look cross Vanitas' face for the first time.

He pulls them over the edge, a reasonable distance away, and lets go. Xion gasps, both hands dropping to the smooth tiles of the sloped roof as they double over to catch their breath.

"You - You scared the shit out of me, Vanitas!" Xion wheezes, trying to calm their frantic heart.

"You scared _me_," Vanitas snaps, sounding rattled. "I didn't expect anyone else to come up here—what the fuck is that sound you're making?"

Xion swallows back the hysterical laughter that tries to mix in with their desperate attempts to suck in some air, resulting in a strangled, oddly high pitched wheeze.

"I'm—I'm fine, I'm good," Xion says. Vanitas is staring, crouched a few inches away, hand reached out as if ready to grab them if they somehow manage to fall despite them being several feet from the edge now.

"You sound like you're dying," Vanitas says. "Are you dying? Roxas is going to fucking kill me if you do, and I decided I don't hate being here all the time, so I'd rather not."

"I'm not dying," Xion reassures him, reaching out to clap his shoulder instinctively. They recall too late how much Vanitas hates being touched, too used to the casual intimacy they share with Roxas, Axel and Naminé; but while Vanitas flinches, he doesn't shove their hand away or move.

"Whatever," he mutters, dropping his gaze, brow still furrowed. Xion hasn't seen him out at night before—and it's no wonder, since he blends into the darkness so well. The bright shine of his eyes is the only thing that gives him away, and it had been all of him that they had seen at first, two gold things hovering in front of them.

Now, though, Xion can make out the faint outline of his body as they squint at him.

"What the hell are you even doing up here, anyway?" Vanitas asks as Xion draws their hand back to feel for the book they had dropped. It's near the ledge, so they shimmy over a few inches to reach for it and Vanitas looks faintly—concerned, maybe, his body tensing as if prepared to leap at them if they fall.

They don't fall. Book safely in hand, Xion grins at him.

"Stargazing," they say, waving the book slightly. "I have trouble sleeping and like to go out and watch the stars, so Ienzo loaned me this and told me I should come up here for a better view."

"Oh," Vanitas says, staring blankly at the book before lifting his gaze slightly. "People...do that?"

"Apparently," Xion says, glancing up as well. Ienzo was right—they feel closer to the sky this high up, although the height is nothing compared to the Castle That Never Was.

"If you wanted to be alone, I can leave," Xion adds, drawing Vanitas' unnervingly bright gaze back to them. The color reminds them slightly of the false Kingdom Hearts, but Xion doesn't feel uneasy under his scrutiny the way they had under that light.

"It's fine," Vanitas says after a long moment. He averts his gaze, shifting backward against the roofs slope. "It's easier to sit up there, if you wanted to stay. But you can do whatever you want," he adds after jerking his head back towards the high point of the roof, near where one of the towers emerges.

"If it's okay with you, I'll stay," Xion says, and starts crawling carefully up the slope. Vanitas follows silently. The roof smooths out into something flatter and easier to grip, and Xion heaves a sigh as they lean against the tower.

Vanitas, crouched across from them, seems tense even as Xion relaxes and places the book nearby. Of course, he always seems to be tense, as if he's a spring wound so tightly that he threatens to burst outward. Would he appreciate it if they asked what was wrong, or why he's up here?

Probably not.

Do they care if he appreciates it?

Not really.

"So why are _you _up here, Vanitas?" Xion asks. He seems startled by the question, as if he really hadn't expected them to ask about it.

Honestly, Xion doesn't expect an answer. Vanitas usually just scoffs or grunts and looks somewhere else when they—or anyone else—express any measure of concern.

Vanitas _is _quiet for a moment, but then he says, "Nobody comes up here. It's quiet and dark, so…" his shoulders hunch, looking not at Xion but up to the sky. It's darker than usual, and Xion realizes the moon is absent—or, not quite.

Like Vanitas, the moon is blended darkly into the sky.

_A new moon_, Xion thinks, but unlike Vanitas, they can't even find the faintest outline of it in the sky.

"I prefer the quiet and dark, too," Xion says, and doesn't take their own eyes away from the sky as Vanitas shifts his gaze to them.

They had planned to look for constellations tonight, but Xion takes their hand off the book and rests it in their lap instead.

Another night. Xion will have plenty, and maybe on another night Vanitas will even look with them. But for now, Xion waits, and eventually Vanitas sits properly as opposed to remaining crouched as if prepared to escape at any moment.

He doesn't move further away from them, either. In Xion's periphery, they see the abnormal glow of his eyes, raised towards the sky once more.

They don't talk, but Xion feels an entire conversation between them.


End file.
